Berkine (Algerian Petroleum Joint Venture) Listed by maze Ransomware Group: Ransomware Claim — What’s Alleged & What To Do
The Berkine (Algerian Petroleum Joint Venture) Listed by maze Ransomware Group (reported April 1, 2020) is an unverified claim; the data involved is undisclosed belonging to roughly unknown people. If you have an account with them, your information may now be circulating on the open web and with data brokers. Here’s exactly what happened, how to check if you were affected, and what to do next.
In early 2020, ransomware groups increasingly targeted industrial and energy organisations, combining file encryption with the threat of data publication to pressure victims. On 1 April 2020, the Algerian petroleum joint venture Berkine appeared on the public leak site operated by the Maze ransomware group. The listing indicated that internal files had been removed from the organisation, though the number of individuals affected and the precise contents of the material remain undisclosed in public reporting.
The incident is significant because petroleum joint ventures routinely process operational, commercial and personnel records whose exposure can affect both corporate functions and individuals connected to the business. Public information is limited to the leak-site entry itself and the group’s assertion that data was taken.
Breaking down the breach
The only confirmed public detail is that Berkine was listed on the Maze ransomware leak site on 1 April 2020. The group stated that internal files had been exfiltrated during a ransomware operation. No figure for the volume of data, the number of people potentially affected, or the timeline of the intrusion has been released by the organisation or independently verified. The exact method of initial access and whether encryption was also deployed are not described in available reporting.
Who is maze?
Maze is a ransomware operator that emerged in 2019 and became known for a double-extortion approach: encrypting systems and also removing copies of data to publish if the ransom demand was not met. The group maintained a leak site where it listed victims and sometimes released samples of stolen material. Maze primarily targeted mid-sized and large organisations across multiple sectors and ceased visible operations around late 2020, after which its infrastructure and tactics were adopted or rebranded by other actors.
Berkine (Algerian Petroleum Joint Venture) and its sector
Berkine operates as a joint venture in Algeria’s petroleum industry, participating in exploration, production and related upstream activities. Organisations of this type maintain records covering field operations, contractual arrangements with suppliers and government entities, technical specifications, and employee or contractor information. A listing on a ransomware leak site is consequential in this sector because even limited disclosure of operational documents can reveal commercially sensitive details or create follow-on risks for personnel whose data appears in internal files.
What data was at risk
The Maze listing referred only to “internal files.” No inventory of specific data types, file categories or record counts has been published. Energy-sector joint ventures typically hold operational logs, financial and procurement documents, safety and maintenance records, and human-resources information. Without confirmation from the organisation or a verified sample release, the exact nature of the material that may have been removed cannot be stated.
The real-world impact
Exposure of internal petroleum-sector files can create practical difficulties for the joint venture, including the need to review contracts, reassess access controls and manage any regulatory notifications required under Algerian or partner-country rules. For individuals, the main concern is the possible presence of personal or employment-related information in the exfiltrated material; the scale of that risk remains unknown because the affected population has not been quantified. No reports of subsequent misuse of data from this incident have been publicly linked to the listing.
Were you affected?
Individuals who have had professional contact with Berkine or its contractors can review any correspondence for notifications from the organisation. Running a free exposure scan of an email address against known breach data provides one way to check whether personal information has appeared in previously published data sets. Organisations in similar sectors are advised to verify that multi-factor authentication, network segmentation and offline backups are in place, though these steps address general risk rather than this specific event.
AICompiled with AI assistance from public sources and published under our editorial standards.
How this breach connects
More recent breaches
Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand Listed by maze Ransomware GroupFERSPED Inc. (Macedonian shipping company) Listed by maze Ransomware GroupWestmoreland Mechanical Testing and Research, Inc. Listed by maze Ransomware GroupWestech International (US military contractor) Listed by maze Ransomware GroupLatest breaches
Publicly posted by maze — unverified claim, pending independent verification
Breach listings — particularly those originating from ransomware or leak sites — are third-party claims that may be unverified, incomplete, or inaccurate. A listing does not by itself confirm that a breach occurred or that any specific data was exposed. Severity is an automated assessment, not a definitive rating. Verification status is shown where available.
Attributions to threat groups and methods reflect public reporting and, in some cases, unverified claims made by the groups themselves; they may be incomplete or later revised. Recent Breaches and GalaxyWarden are independent and are not affiliated with, and do not endorse, any company or group named on this page. This information is aggregated from public sources for awareness only and is not legal, security, or investment advice.